


From the Band Room

by hopiing



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: High School AU, I'll take requests for including characters and events and stuff, Marching Band AU, No Despair AU, No Talent AU, Other, band au, basically just a big band AU involving most of the characters from the main 2 games, but like an American style band because I have no clue how Japanese bands are, ongoing series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-09
Updated: 2016-12-10
Packaged: 2018-09-07 12:27:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8800813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopiing/pseuds/hopiing
Summary: Hope's Peak Academy is prestigious in many regards, and their band program is no exception. The band room is always a hub of activity, whether it's preparing for a marching band competition or buckling down for concert band season.This is going to be a (hopefully) long-running series based off of requests just focusing on the students in Danganronpa 1 and 2 in the setting of a band room. Pairings, some character instruments, and events will all be requestable.





	1. Roots

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this is really my first time writing any fanfiction, with the exception of when I was literally 10, so this is kind of scary. I may be a little OOC on some characters but I'll try my best-
> 
> also this chapter is more of an introduction to the series and less of a representation of the rest of the series. It's more just a quick summary of their middle school band experiences and feelings leading into actual high school band, which is what the rest of the story will be about. And yes, there'll be concert band and marching band. Maybe even other band events like chamber groups and school musicals.

                Sometimes, Hinata felt like he was the only one in the room who hadn't fallen in love with his instrument the first time he had seen it.

                He didn't understand when his classmates gave passionate speeches about how they had felt more alive the first time they had held a clarinet, or when their lips touched the mouthpiece of their tuba. He hadn't had an "aha!" moment when he had picked his instrument. It didn't feel better or more natural in his hands. It just had a decently large section, so he figured he could blend in.

                He had actually started out playing trumpet, but just had to switch to something else. The other trumpeters were far too competitive. After two years of it, though, Hinata hadn't moved from the bottom of the section. The others, despite only being middle schoolers, had put in far more hours of practice.

                After all, their band was one of the most prestigious in the area. They received superior marks at any competition they chose to go to.

                His middle school band director, a nervous but compassionate woman known to her students as Usami, called him into her office one day.

                "Hinata... I-I'm sorry if you don't want to, but have you considered switching instruments? You have so much potential, but you're being overshadowed by your sectionmates! It's really quite depressing!" Her face was difficult to read that day. On one hand, it was obvious she didn't want to belittle him or make him feel bad for his lack of talent. On the other, she wanted him to succeed and wasn't impressed by his progress on trumpet.

                So she had pulled out the school's tubas, euphoniums, and French horns. He had tried each of them, but still wasn't quite impressed. The tuba was interesting, sure, and the sound was nice and impressive, but it would be unrealistic to lug to school and back every single day if he wanted to practice at home. The euphonium... He would be overshadowed by everyone else again. Nobody ever paid any mind to the euphoniums. No solos, and they didn't support the band the same way a tuba would. They just played harmonies and chords.

                He ended up being most impressed by the French horn. It was beautiful, and all the recordings that Usami had played for him were really nice. He would get some solos with it for sure, if he managed to beat the other handful of French horn players, but...

                It was commonly seen as the most difficult brass instrument.

                If he couldn't be an adequate trumpet player, there was no way he could play French horn, right? But at least he wouldn't be overshadowed by the 10 people who were higher chairs than him.

                So he switched to French horn. It wasn't because he fell in love with it at an instrument showcase, or that he just really liked the way it felt in his hands. It was just because he was sick of being left behind in the trumpet section and had a desperate need to stand out.

* * *

 

                Things were different with Chiaki. She had first picked up the clarinet when she was eight because the protagonist of her favorite video game at the time was a clarinetist. When she wasn't sleeping or bent over a console, she was playing clarinet.

                And she was good.

                She kept her passion up by playing music from her favorite games. Sometimes she could find sheet music for it, but eventually she had to learn to arrange solos for herself by ear. When most people were picking up their horns for the first time, she was scribbling on staff paper with a game console pressed to her ear.

                It was because of her tendency to fall asleep in class and her existing skill on clarinet that Usami decided to have her try bass clarinet.

                "Chiaki, you're the best clarinetist we have. And I don't want you to stop playing at all, but I think picking up the bass clarinet could help you progress! I'll let you play both parts in class, if you'd like."

                She didn't really mind playing bass clarinet. It was less versatile, but still a much-needed part of the band. It provided support and depth to the woodwinds, and Chiaki was fine with that. She had always seen herself as more of a supporter than a leader. It was always nice to be able to play two instruments, anyways. Eventually, she would open a YouTube channel dedicated to clarinet choir covers of her favorite songs from her favorite games. Her videos were cleanly edited, divided into four panels. She would play a Bb clarinet in three, and her bass clarinet in the last one.

                In class, though, not much changed. Through all her middle school years, she had her earbuds plugged into a console and her staff paper on her stand. She was disconnected from her peers. Sometimes, Usami let her disappear off to the practice rooms to go play on her own.

                Her peers often wondered why she had switched to bass clarinet. She couldn't shine quite as much as she might have if she was playing a Bb clarinet. If they ever asked, she would tell them she'd rather play a supporting role and help let other people shine and sound good, rather than herself. She was happier, but lonelier. After all, she was the only bass clarinetist in their middle school band.

                One day, she walked into Usami's office and stood there for a few minutes.

                "I wish I could be friends with some of them," she said, her voice soft, "But they don't seem to be interested in me... I think."

                Usami arranged a trio for her at the next concert. Two Bb clarinets and a bass clarinet. She hadn't known either of the two other clarinetists that well before, but quickly got to know them better.

                She had fewer troubles with isolation after that and quickly became popular for her quiet kindness towards everyone.

* * *

 

                Laidback, calm, friendly, and trustworthy at first glance. Seemingly placid waters. But so much deeper. Neurotic, crazy, difficult to talk to, impossible to understand.

                That's the reputation oboists have earned. It's no wonder the most difficult woodwind instrument would draw such people to it. Nobody in their right mind would want to deal with such a finicky, expensive instrument.

                Except Komaeda.

                The first time he had heard the instrument, he was struck by the beauty of the sound. It was pure and clear, a shimmering sound that could flow like water. It was versatile, sometimes sounding charmingly awkward and sometimes irresistibly full and deep.

                He wanted to play it after that, to feel the cool silver of the keys against his fingers and to be able to sound like that on a concert stage. Of course it was unrealistic. He knew he wasn't that talented and never would be, no matter how hard he worked.

                Usami worried about him at first. He was the only one in his section, and had a tendency to isolate himself in a way that made him even lonelier than Chiaki. His tone was bad, yes, but that was what all beginning oboists went through. After a few months, he had shaped up and was one of the stronger musicians in the band, even if he never saw that in himself.

                He missed a semester once because of poor health. He came back worried that everyone would have left him in the dust, but he came back as an even stronger musician than before. Nobody cared enough about him to ask how.

                Through the rest of middle school, Komaeda did his best to blend in while still staying isolated. He refused any solos Usami tried to give him. He loved his instrument and gave it his all, but he never believed he was good enough to be shown off in a solo. He preferred to quietly play his part and be a part of the band, rather than be the leading role.

                At the end of eighth grade, he was the only one who panicked about marching band. It was supposedly a requirement, but how would he play? He couldn't learn another instrument in time, surely, and marching around a field in the heat would almost definitely kill him. His first and only trip to Usami's office was about marching band.

                She told him about front ensemble. They didn't march, but he could still participate in marching band through them and fill the requirement. Even if he couldn't figure out how to play a marimba or vibraphone in time for marching season, they could definitely still use an extra member on the concert bass drum or the gong or something easy like that.

                Nobody else panicked because their parents had forced them into the band program up until now (and were finally going to let them quit) or they loved band so much that they would crave the extra hours. That was just another way he was different.

* * *

 

               The three of them finally graduated from eighth grade. Summer passed. And a month from the beginning of school, they found themselves truly talking together for the first time. They stood in the bustling cafeteria of the otherwise-empty school, lathered up in sunscreen and dressed in gym clothes. They had brought absurdly large water bottles to make it through the twelve-hour days of band camp in front of them.

                Standing in the cafeteria filled with people running around and laughing with their friends in school in the middle of summer, they realized that high school band was going to be different. And that would definitely be for the better.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first part of band camp, day one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure what kind of update schedule I'll have. Probably just whenever I have time and inspiration. Anyways, enjoy the first day of band camp! My memory of it is a little foggy because it was so many months ago now, but some things you just can't forget! I'll be basing a lot of this off of my own band experiences and some stories I read off of Tumblr, but always feel free to submit things you want me to include! No guarantees, of course, but I'd love extra input!

"WELCOME TO BAND CAMP! HAVE A BAND-TASTIC DAY!"  
That's what the sign hung over the door to the band hall read, in almost painfully bright colors. There were sloppy illustrations of sousaphones, drumsticks, flutes, flags, rifles, and mallets covering what remained of the white posterboard.  
It was also the only significant detail about the band room that Hinata remembered the first time he was there. The swelling of dread in his chest and the nervousness in his gut occupied most of his attention. Everything was a blur, from walking outside and lining up in neat files to marching down to the football field and then running laps. After running, he'd be marching for the first time. That thought was definitely scary. So he didn't think at all until he was done running.  
Everybody had finished their laps. Sweating was already pouring through the thin fabric of his clothing, and it hadn't even been an hour since arriving here. Breaths came out quick and light through Hinata's lips as he raised a hand to his brow. The sun was already quite bright... It took him a few moments to realize that all his peers were leaning against the chain-link fence around the track and guzzling whatever water they had brought. A few more moments, and he realized how stupid he must look just standing in the middle of the track and staring.  
He walked over to his own water bottle (or jug, seeing as it could hold half a gallon of water) and poured it into his mouth. It was the best feeling in the world; the cool water cascading across his tongue felt like heaven on earth. Hinata lowered the bottle and gave the rest of the band another glance. Most of them were intermingling and chattering happily with each other, a sight that made him feel completely alone. He scanned the small groups for anyone he knew from middle school. Chiaki and Komaeda, maybe, even if they hadn't truly spoken before this morning. Right as his eyes landed on them, though, he heard something totally unexpected.  
"Naegi! Naegi!" The excited voice of a girl he didn't recognize called out. "Dab for us!"  
Another girl quickly joined in yelling "Dab! Dab!" and waving her thin arms excitedly in front of the baffled boy that Hinata could only assume to be Naegi. Soon enough, there was a legitimate mob surrounding the poor boy.  
Hinata wondered for a moment why Naegi was so popular that he had been engulfed by a crowd of sweaty band kids screaming at him to dab. He must have been a beloved upperclassman, maybe in a leadership position.  
Hinata didn't have much more time to think about Naegi, because the latter was already breaking out of the crowd.  
"Heeeey! Over here!" Naegi exclaimed. Instantly, everybody who wasn't already nearby flocked to Naegi.  
Ah. If Naegi has that kind of control over the band, it means he must be a captain or the drum major.  
Well, Hinata knew he'd probably figure out just how Naegi was so popular in the band quicker if he just joined in with everybody else and listened to Naegi talk.  
"Alright everybody, go ahead and sit down. In a little bit, we're all going to introduce ourselves and get ready for marching block!" The end of Naegi's sentence was drowned out by the rustling of 150 teenagers sitting down on the track.  
"So, welcome to band camp! My name is Makoto Naegi, and I'll be your drum major this year. To kick off this season, we're going to have everybody introduce themselves. We'll start with seniors, going from left to right. When it's your turn to speak, just say your name, instrument, any leadership position you hold, and..." He paused, thinking for a moment. "Of course, how could I forget! And your favorite cereal! Alright, all seniors, go ahead and stand. Sit down when you're done with your introduction."  
The first senior to introduce himself was tall and skinny with dirty blonde hair. "My name is Byakuya Togami. I play the trumpet and am the band president. I don't eat cereal."  
He sat down promptly, not caring to give anyone a second glance. Hinata quickly tuned out all the other introductions, only catching a few names. A girl named Kyoko Kirigiri was the vice president of the band, Celestia Ludenberg was their treasurer, and Mahiru Koizumi was the secretary. He didn't catch who was the captain of what section, but he was sure he'd figure that out soon enough.  
Hinata only snapped back into focus when he heard Naegi say, "And freshman!"  
He stood up and noticed then how pathetic his class was. There were only about 20 freshman out of the 150-or-more people. He was on the far left of the group, so he went first.  
"My name is Hajime Hinata. I play the french horn and mellophone, and my favorite cereal is Chex." He sat back down quickly, not really craving the attention he was getting.  
His favorite cereal wasn't even Chex. He just said the first cereal name that came to mind.  
Hinata stared down at the track. It wasn't quite pavement. It seemed to be made of rubbery flakes, about the size of pebbles. Maybe it was shredded tires or something. He dug his finger under one of the black chips making up the track and peeled it up, twisting it around. He stared at it intently, ignoring the next several freshman. He tossed the piece of the track back down and glanced up in time to see Komaeda speaking.  
"I'm Nagito Komaeda, and I'm in the front ensemble. I really like Lucky Charms." The white-haired boy's breathing was still ragged from running laps earlier, something that surprised Hinata. Komaeda looked around at all the faces staring at him as he spoke, and then carefully sat back down on the hot track.  
Chiaki was the last freshman to speak. "...I'm Chiaki Nanami." She paused, yawned, and surveyed the faces turned towards her. "I'm a clarinetist and bass clarinetist... and my favorite cereal..." Another pause. She drew her index finger up to the corner of her mouth in thought. The expression on her face lit up as soon as she thought of her cereal of choice. "Ah, it has to be Cocoa Puffs!"  
She took a moment to sit back down, and she did that slowly.  
When she was done, Naegi stood back up. "Alright, thank you! Front ensemble, feel free to go back inside. Guard, you can break off, too. Horn line, we're going to be learning how to march!"  
The thirty or so people that made up guard and front ensemble stood up and left. Hinata watched Komaeda pick up his water jug and hurry after the rest of the percussionists, and noticed the relief on the other boy's face. Maybe Komaeda's physical shape was worse than Hinata had thought before.  
Naegi helped the rest of them form a block. It was exactly 10 people wide and 12 people long. Hinata ended up somewhere in the back third of the block, between two sweaty upperclassmen. Not like he was in a position to judge them, of course.  
And suddenly, he heard the most unpleasant sound he had heard in a long time. It was coming from some bright red plastic... thing. When it was hit with a drumstick, it made a horrible, ear-shattering noise. It was being used to keep tempo.  
DOK! DOK! DOK! DOK!  
The high-pitched noise it made was almost indescribable. Boring into one ear and drilling straight into the skull.  
It paused for a moment. A voice that Hinata didn't recognize, presumably that of one of the band's instructors, rang out in the silence. "Did you hear that? That's the gock block. Worst sound on the planet, but it'll keep us in time as we march."  
"Anyways, you always step off with your left foot. Push your foot forwards, then roll from your heel to your toe and bring your other foot up behind. Don't keep your knees completely straight, because that looks awkward. Try not to move your upper body, and be fluid. We'll start out slow. 4 counts. Rookies, you might not get this at first, but you'll figure it out quickly enough."  
Was that even English?  
Hinata didn't know. It took him several reps to even get a single step right, and several more to get all four steps. Just as he had figured out marching for four counts, the man started to explain placing feet to stop. And after that, it was up to 8 counts... then 16 counts...  
Three hours later, he was exhausted. Limited water breaks and constant standing up had him feeling dizzy and generally not good. He had worked up quite the appetite, too. Hearing the words, "Okay, it's almost time for lunch, meet in the auditorium," was even more heavenly than feeling the water hit his parched lips at every water break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that the SDR2 cast is older than the DR cast but I'm just going to intermingle them all. Because I don't want to create random characters for important leadership positions.
> 
> The rest of the band camp chapters are probably going to be much less detailed than this, but the first part of band camp is very overwhelming! Especially as a freshman. And I wanted to try and capture some of that feeling of just intensity.
> 
> Also, feel free to suggest instruments for certain characters! I have a few ideas for some but I'd love extra input

**Author's Note:**

> Character instruments have been largely picked off of the personality of the characters and the personality associated with the instruments. French horn players are known for being introverted, determined, and getting along with everyone. Clarinetists are strong-willed and friendly. They tend to be either extreme introverts or extreme extroverts. Oboists are typically the lonely kids, often described as extremely neurotic and perfectionistic. Not 100% perfect fits for their respective characters, but the closest I could get.
> 
> I'm not as sure about the Danganronpa 1 characters yet but I'll figure out instruments for them, too! Feel free to send me suggestions--
> 
> Next chapter's going to be longer, hopefully, and centered more around marching band.


End file.
